Irvine's Claim Jumper to Open Denver Location

IRVINE — The Claim Jumper family-style restaurant chain plans to open its first out-of-state location--in its thematic homeland of Denver.

"We think we will do very well in Colorado," said Craig Nickoloff, president and founder of Irvine-based Claim Jumper. "The Denver area has been growing and, well, the mining theme suits the site."

Claim Jumper restaurants, each with a slightly different look, are decorated by Nickoloff's wife, Christianne, with antiques that hark back to the West of the 1890s. Claim Jumper is also adding a restaurant in Torrance and is moving the original Claim Jumper, opened in 1977, from Los Alamitos to Long Beach.

Tony Cherbak, retail analyst with the Deloitte & Touche accounting firm in Costa Mesa, said the restaurant's family fare at reasonable prices will continue to draw lunch and dinner-time crowds in California and in its future Colorado locations.

"The family concept with good prices hits a hot button with consumers these days," Cherbak said.

With the addition of its first Colorado eatery and restaurants in Long Beach and Torrance, the company expects total sales to top $100 million this year.